A Charley Tale
by White Fairy Writer
Summary: Charley's leaving behind the Windy City and heading for the Big Apple, New York City! With the bros out of the picture for now she might have a chance of finding normalcy at her new shop. Of course, we're talking about Charley, and I did say 'might'. A TMNT crossover.
1. Chapter 1

_**I own nothing related to Biker Mice From Mars or anything in the TMNT series, this is for fun, and I'm only writing this once so take notice now. Enjoy! **_

Charley grinned as her motorcycle sped down the high way, wisps of her dark hair blowing out from beneath her helmet. She sped down the high way, loving how her bike felt beneath her. The gentle hum of the engine, the blasts from the engines, the smell of a bike in the morning...it was safe to say Charley was addicted to motorcycles, not that she'd admit it (most of the time). The cool morning air blew against her skin like a friend, her tank top thankfully not blowing out around her, her jeans hugging her legs, and her dark eyes glittering in excitement.

She was leaving Chicago behind.

For now.

There was no real reason for her sudden want to head east...well, actually there was. It had a name, and that name was Vinnie. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks...no? Really? The white mouse had finally driven her insane, and she was so tired of his constant flirts...right? She needed time to think, and since he had destroyed her latest and greatest creation of a mega-motorcycle (he _said_ it was an accident) she pulled out one of the few bikes she kept hidden away because the bros would destroy it in five seconds flat, she was leaving Chicago behind and heading east.

To New York City.

The bros didn't know one thing about her, she had spent a few summers that way with her cousin's family. She was always welcome in the Big Apple, and she was going to take advantage of it. She hadn't told them where she was going. Oh she'd left a note of course. Otherwise those mice would've thought she'd been kidnapped or something. You seriously don't want to see a mouse who's friend's been kidnapped, it's not pretty. Music pounded from a passing car and her grin intensified as she took the off ramp. _I'm almost there!_ She thought eagerly. She was hoping the mice wouldn't find her, she wanted some people time. She loved the bros, seriously, she did, but after a while a girl just needs to have some human interaction. It was time to just get away for a while, it wasn't like the bros couldn't take care of their bikes, and they knew how to make adjustments such as turbo boosts, laser attachments, and of course a beer dispenser for when they got thirsty. _I'm not the only genius in the shop, they'll be fine._

There was another reason Charley was headed out of town. Since her shop had been destroyed by the manic Ronaldo Rump, Charley had become slightly depressed. The Last Chance Garage was her home most of the time, her baby actually. Now that it was gone...it was time to build it again. And what better place than in the Center of the Universe? New York City, all those cars, all those _bikes_...it was gonna be sweet. Turning off the road she pulled into a rest stop. The skyline was dominated by skyscrapers, and Charley grinned. It also helped that since one of her Uncles had passed away, she had inherited his old mechanics shop. She hadn't really known Uncle M, he was a pure blooded recluse but was a genius on machines. He had the magic touch when it came to mechanics. Charley's parents always assumed she had gotten her talent for being a grease monkey from him...even though he _was_ twice removed by law. She was sorry he was gone though. The official report said it had been gang activity, that Uncle M hadn't paid tribute or something. She was slightly apprehensive about that, but she had a bike wrench and wasn't to worried.

At the worst, she got a guard dog.

At the best, she _didn't_ get a guard dog.

The sun shone brightly over the New York City skyline, and Charley pulled off her helmet. It was going to be a great day, she knew it. She may be in a whole new city, _alone_, with no actual idea where her Uncle's old shop was..., but it was gong to be great. And maybe...maybe she'd meet a _human_ guy while she was out here. With so many people, her soul mate could be around the corner! And not to mention one of her best buds from her summer days still lived here, H. He could show her around the city, be her guide. He was one of the best guys on the block the last time she had been around, but it wasn't like he could have changed _too_ much, right?

Charley stood up and flipped the kickstand on her bike as she stood up and stretched. She ran her fingers through her dark hair with a smile, letting out a yawn and then sitting back down on her black bike. It was an older bike, one she'd gotten as a present from her parents years ago. It was special to her, and she tended to keep it safe from anyone's eyes. _If the bros found out about it, jeez, they'd turn it into one of their 'experiments'. _She thought with a groan. She yawned again, and decided she need to find the old shop. _Last Chance Garage II coming up! _She thought with a whoop, and sped into the heart of New York City. She knew it probably was just a buzzing from her long drive, but Charley had the strangest premonition that she would be having a new adventure in this city. Of course, _that_ couldn't happen. She'd left all the crazy Mars citizens back in the Windy City, they couldn't just show up _here_ of all places, that would be crazy!

_Nah, nothing crazy's going to happen. _She told herself firmly. _You have got to get a grip, Char, what do you think you're going to find? More mice? _


	2. Last Chance Garage II

Charley pulled up in front of the nondescript old building Uncle M had left her. It had an abandoned feel to it, and the building radiated extreme weariness. Paint was peeling and cracked on the outside, and the windows boarded over broken window panes. The building next to it was abandoned, the others not so happy looking either. Turning her motorcycle off, Charley stood up to survey her new acquisition.

"Well, it's not _that_ bad." She finally spoke, and winced as the old garage sign above her came crashing down. "_Seriously_? Come one!" She groaned, throwing her head back in annoyance. The old sign, faded and broken, had splintered into pieces and littered the front door of her new garage. "Well, it would've had to come down anyway." She sighed, taking life's lemons and making lemonade.

Pulling the key out of her pocket, Charley shouldered open the old wooden door and pushed her way in. The garage was dark and quiet, shrouded in shadows and decay. Sunlight poured in from the doorway, just adding emphasis to how bad the garage had become. Charley leaned against the door frame with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Hm." She murmured, tapping her cheek meditatively. _It could become a great_ _garage, it just needs a few tweaks. _She smiled to herself, heading back to her bike outside the shop. Walking her bike in, she pulled a crowbar out from one of her bags. _Never leave home without it._ She thought with a grin, and went to pry the boards off the windows.

Light began to pour in as the windows let in sunshine, and Charley began the painstaking remodel of Last Chance Garage II. Dust was swept out, cobwebs kicked out, and decaying materials thrown away. Charley let out her tenth sneeze shaking her head. _How did it get so bad here?_ _Last Chance Garage I never got _this_ bad_ _before! _Heading into the actual garage part of Uncle M's shop, she grunted as she pulled the metal door for vehicles open. The gears groaned as the door made its painstaking journey to the ceiling, and Charley nodded happily, her hands on her hips. _It's coming along nicely! _She grinned, watching vehicles pass her buy.

Looking to her left, she saw one of the many 'parks' of NYC. This one had been around so long it had been forgotten, a lot like this whole neighborhood actually, and it was overgrown with tall pines. Charley's heart let out a longing for home. She had 'forests' like this back in Chicago, and the sight made her sad she had left her home behind. _It's not forever, Char, you'll go back one day._ She scolded herself, and went back to cleaning. It was nice to be getting her hands dirty again, she thought pleasantly as she watched her tank top and hands become spotted with oil and dirt. She didn't mind, she was a grease monkey after all, and this simple piece of normalcy made Charley forget about her homesickness as she got to work.

"Hello? Is this the Garage Depot? Yeah? Awesome, I was wondering if I could order two car lifts, one bike lift- Oh, sorry, my name's Charley Davidson, I just moved into the area- Mmhm, that's a pronto delivery." She told the sales guy on the other end of the line. _Do they teach these guys any customer service? _She wondered to herself, rolling her eyes. "As I was saying, I need two car lifts, one bike lift, two air compressors- Did you just put me on hold?" She demanded from the waiting music. "Ugh."

The first week passed slowly, with Charley moving into the small loft in the shop's tiny second floor. It was enough for a bedroom, and Charley loved the quaintness to it. Especially since the shop was literally right under her feet! She turned the garage into a home, a make shift one, but a new home none-the-less. She sat on her small bed, looking at the photo she had pulled out. There was the bros, all grinning into the camera, Charley shaking her head in the picture with a smile and an eye roll. It had been shot almost a year ago, but she still remembered all the craziness that that day had entailed. A full bike reconfiguration along with a minor adjustment on Throttle's motorcycle, and then she got kidnapped. _It had been a great day, all in all. _She mused happily to herself, before setting it on the table beside her bed.

"Hello?" A voice called out below her feet. "Anyone here?" The voice called again, and Charley brightened. _A customer! _

"Coming!" She replied, heading down the small spiral staircase and coming to stand behind the shop's counter. "How are ya today?" She smiled brightly, brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.

"Oh I'm great, since when was there a garage around here?" The red headed woman before her asked, a smile on her pale face.

"I just moved in, I finally got the sign up yesterday. Whatdaya think?" She asked, motioning to the room.

"It's amazing! I have some friends down the street and I always pass this place by. It used to be so depressing, but when I saw it today..wow!" The woman gushed, and Charley smiled proudly. She had repainted the front: reds, whites, some green and black, and had turned the whole outside wall into a masterpiece of artistry. Bikes and cars decorated the outside wall, with the garage's name written daintily in fancy cursive script between two motorcycles, one above it, the other below, one bike facing east, the other facing west.

"Thanks, I've been pretty busy. I'm Charley by the way." She said, sticking out her hand.

"April O'Neil, nice to meet you. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before, I was still in shock!" The red head grinned, and Charley nodded back. She had a feeling she was going to like this woman. "Oh, I have my car out front, do you think you could change the oil? And I _just_ popped my spare tire, do you have any back ups? And, I kinda don't know what type they are..." April laughed nervously, but Charley was already heading outside.

"No sweat, just pull into the garage and we can get started." She smiled, pulling on a pair of mechanic jumpsuits, a nice blue one with 'Charley' written in cursive across the left shoulder.

"Thanks, Charley, having this shop is a life saver." April breathed in relief. "I didn't want to have to drive all the way back to my house, only to have to call a tow truck! The things we have to do." She grumbled, getting into her car and pulling into the back of the garage. April got back out and tossed Charley her keys.

"Thanks, why don'tcha head back over into the shop? I'll be done in a jiffy." She smiled, jacking the car up to check the flat tire first. It was a basic performance tire, and an easy fix. Charley set the car back down and headed to the engine. _Oil change! _She thought with mock glee. She had changed so many oils in her life, she was done in less than ten minutes. Wiping her hands clean, she headed over to April who was reading a magazine, absorbed in whatever it was. "April?" She spoke, had to repeat herself twice before the ditzy red head looked up.

"Oh, you're done? Already? Wow you're fast!" She exclaimed surprised.

"What can I say? It's in my blood." Charley shrugged with her usual smile, handing the keys back to their owner.

"Thank you so much, how much do I owe you?" April asked, pulling out her wallet.

"Thirty five bucks."

"_Thirty five?_ All you did was change the tire and the oil!" April yelped in shock.

"I did you one better, I changed the oil and the tire, and added a new tire as a spare for like 65% off. That not reasonable?" Charley said with a patient voice.

"Oh, that's great thanks." April said, surprised again. She handed over the money and waited for her receipt.

"Thanks for coming to Last Chance Garage II, hope to see ya again April." She told the woman before her.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." April smiled with warmth, and with a wave was gone. April did one better than just coming back, she went and told all her friends about Last Chance Garage II. Charley was busy fixing cars the rest of the day, wondering how the heck did April O'Neil spread the word so fast? The answer revealed itself when Charley overheard a conversation about said red head, how she was a reporter at a local news station. _That could explain a lot._ Charley thought, wiping some grease off her cheek. "Thanks for visiting Last Chance Garage II, see ya again!" She told the last customer of the day before locking up shop and landing on a chair with a weary huff. The sun had set on a successful day, and Charley was happy with how well everything had gone that day. _And I made lots of money too! _She giggled inwardly, before she let out a pained grunt. "I really need to hire more people." She groaned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. _To much work, to little time_. She sighed, and then she heard the door open with a clang. Charley spun around, grabbing a wrench tacked on the wall behind her. _How'd he pick the lock? _She wondered angrily, gripping the wrench tightly.

"Well, well, well. What'da we have here?" A voice asked lowly, and Charley felt she should know the voice. He stepped into the room, shadows keeping her from seeing his face. He was big and hulking, and seemed to encompass the whole room. "Yer that runt who's Uncle used to work here, such a shame about him." The guy continued. "He didn't pay tribute to the Dragons, and look where he is now. Wouldn't want the niece to go the same way as well, would we?" The voice continued smoothly, and he stepped closer. Charley dropped her wrench in shock as she saw her intruder. "So, you gonna pay tribute to the Dragons?"

"_H_?" She demanded shocked. "_Hun_? Is that you?"

"Charley?" He gasped shocked.


	3. Revelations

"Hun!" Charley exclaimed excitedly, and ran towards the hulking figure she had always known. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, and Hun's massive arms wrapped instinctively around her as well. "I've missed you so much." She murmured into his shoulder. She loosened her arms and Hun set her on the floor, his face still in a state of shock.

"_You're _M's niece?" He asked, confusion and shock all over his features.

"Yeah, but I didn't really know the guy. Nice Dragon impersonation though, I actually thought you were going to try to hurt me!" Charley laughed, grinning up at him.

"Impersonation..." Hun laughed weakly back.

"It's so great to see you! What do you think of my garage?" She asked him excitedly, twirling to point to her new shop.

"This is M's old shop." Hun murmured.

"Yeah, I inherited, H, try to keep up her, okay?" She asked him, slowing her words down like she would talk to a three year old. "I got everything all finished, for now at least." She laughed. "I'm so happy to have this place, especially after...well, my first one got destroyed." She said darkly, then shook her head to dispel the gloominess in her. "I've had customers all day, I'm beat. Do ya want anything, H? I live just upstairs."

"No...it's fine, Char."

"What's wrong? Aren't you glad to see me?" She asked him worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine...it's just that- well, you see-"

"You never could make up your mind, could ya H?" Charley grinned, and motioned him to sit down. "Tell me what's been going on, I haven't seen you in ages! How'd you know I was back in town?" She asked curiously, pushing a strand of her dark locks back behind her ear. She really was starting to consider a head band, but she just didn't want one. It would hurt her head by the end of the day, hair bands always did. They poked and prodded where there ends were, and Charley didn't want to have to deal with the annoying pain that accompanied any type of hair band.

"I didn't..." Hun replied quietly. "Listen, ya gotta get out of town, Char. The Dragons, they want this place because of Old Man M. He made alotta people mad, and they want revenge even though he's good and buried." He told her urgently, his bloodshot eyes warning her.

"I just got into town, H, it can't be _that_ bad. I haven't had any unwanted strangers around these parts, and I haven't seen hide nor tail of a Dragon." Charley shrugged, shaking her head.

"They wanna burn this place down, Char, you gotta trust me." Hun said firmly, emphatically.

"H, you know I can take care of myself." She told him with an eye roll. "I've been taking care of myself since forever, you know that. We looked after each other before, we can do it again. You can even move in if ya want." She offered. "It can be just like the old times, you were a genius under the hood. Do ya still have your '73 Dodge Challenger? I loved that car, glossy blue, gaw it was beautiful."

"Nah, I had to sell it a few years back." Hun replied quietly, a reminiscent smile on his face.

"To bad, you knew how to fix any motor. I'm more of a bike girl, but I know all the kinks to fix under a hood." Charley shrugged, wondering why her old friend was so quiet. It wasn't like him. _At all_.

"Yeah, you could probably learn a thing or two." Hun smirked, and Charley let out an indignant snort.

"H!"

"Ya know it's true, Char, ya never were good under a hood. You could figure out any bike though, it was scary sometimes."

"Thanks H, coming from you that's a compliment." She grinned, happy she had gotten him off the 'run-away!' topic.

"Yeah, listen Char, this place is great and all, but it's got some bad vibes. Your uncle ticked some people off, Dragons high up in the food chain." _And I spoke to soon._

"No Dragon is gonna scare me off." She retorted. "You don't know what I've been through since last we met, Hun." _Boy, you don't even want to know the half of it._ "I'm a big girl now, the big, bad, scary Dragon punks aren't going to phase me that much.  
"Char." Hun said gruffly, and something in his voice made Charley look at him.

"How do ya know this, H? Did you become a-a Dragon?" She asked weakly, looking at him with repressed horror. He didn't respond to her, he just looked out the window. "I see." She murmured, looking down at her hands.

"Lots uh things changed, Char." Hun replied quietly. "My parents, they were killed. I had no one...anyway, I got into the PD's awhile back, I'm a leader now."

"Why are you telling me all this, H?" She asked him quietly, looking at his profile with a sigh.

"So ya know how _I _know what's happenin'." Hun replied shortly. "You're still my friend, Char, ya always will be. But times changed, I run with a different pack these days. And I lead that pack. I'll pull 'em out, but you're gonna have to pay tribute like the rest, otherwise...well, payback will be necessary."

"H..."

"I gotta go, Char." He said standing up. "Nice seein' ya, maybe we can meet and catch up?" He asked gruffly, but Charley heard that one sliver of hope in his voice.

"Course H, we're still friends. There's a coffee shop a ways down, meet tomorrow?" She asked calmly, watching H's lips curve in a small smile.

"They're on the pay roll, might as well. See ya at two?" Charley nodded. "Good." Hun nodded back.

"If I don't show, it's 'cuz I have some customers, 'kay?" Charley told him awkwardly. The Purple Dragon leader gave a brisk nod at her, and then left the Last Chance Garage II.

"Good bye for now, Char." The door swung shut with a bang, and Charley numbly collapsed backward in her chair. _H was a-a-a __Purple Dragon__? How is it even possible? _She was dumbstruck for the next few minutes, sitting shell shocked in her chair. It was horrible, yet it was real...Standing up, as if in a daze, Charley headed upstairs and got ready for bed. She pulled on some night clothes, and curled herself up into a ball.

_It-it was _crazy_! It-it couldn't be possible! _Charley tried to create scenarios where H was just a victim, that he had been dragged into the Purple Dragon world, but Charley knew H wasn't a victim. He couldn't be. Hun was a good manipulator, he could get his way out of anything when he tried. _And he has the tattoo..._ Charley thought sadly, remembering the way it curled up his arm. He had chosen that life, maybe not at first, who would?, but eventually, he _had_ succumbed to their dark world. And he was a _leader_ in it too...She had always joked that he would be a leader of something someday, she just hadn't expected it to be a gang leader.

"What do I do now?" She asked the darkness, half expecting an answer. She had seen so much in her time on planet Earth, she did wish something crazy like the darkness responding would happen.

But no, the dark remained exactly that, dark.

"Thanks a lot." She told the nothing, rolling her eyes with a snort. She closed her eyes quietly, and started hearing voices. _Yep, I am now officially crazy._ She thought with a groan, trying to listen to the voices that may or may not have been in her head.

"Not like that, Raph! You the T-4, _not _the T-3. What are you, blind Mikey? Those two parts don't even fit together!" A voice gripped angrily.

"Since when did you become our Fearless Leader, Donny? Ya sound just like Leo..." A new voice snorted.

"I'm the leader because this is _my project_! Do you _want_ to blow up entire city blocks because our ammo isn't installed correctly?" The first voice demanded.

"Chill, Don, he's just jokin'...right, Raph?" A third voice piped up. _How many were there? _Charley wondered to herself, tilting her head more towards the wall. _That's where it was coming from_! She thought, surprised.

"Guys, we gotta be quiet!" A fourth voice hissed.

"Yeah, yeah, like we could wake the dead. No one's around here, Leo." The second voice snorted again.

"We have new neighbors if you didn't remember." The newest voice replied calmly.

"Yeah, and who lives in a mechanics shop? The lady went home, Leo, quiet your worryin'." The second voice responded again. Charley pulled herself into a sitting position, and leaned her ear against the wall, trying to hear the conversation. She knew the building next to her was abandoned, but what were people doing in there? Getting up, Charley quietly crept down the stairs and into her shop. The two buildings had used to be one building, and a door adjoined the two buildings at the back of her shop. Heading towards the door, she twisted the knob gently, not sure what she would find.

"Mikey! Stop playing with that! It's highly explosive!" The first voice warned earnestly.

"Like I'm gonna blow us up." The third voice scoffed.

"Just be-" A small little boom echoed on the other side of the wall, and Charley jerked away from the door in surprise. "Careful." The first voice ended with a cough. Steeling her nerves, Charley pushed the door open.

What she saw made her blink.

There was a huge armored tank kind of automobile, its inner parts exposed to the four turtle like beings who were messing around with it. The four turtles also wore masks, a different color on each, and a weapon on each as well: Red/sais, Blue/katannas, Orange/nun-chucks, and Purple/wooden staff. The four turtles stiffened when they saw her, probably expecting her to scream. Once again, all she did was blink.

"Yeah, she went home alright, Raph." The orange masked turtle murmured. The turtles and Charley stared at each other another second before Charley decided to break the silence.

"So, I'm trying to go to sleep and all your yammering is keeping me up. Think you can tone it down? That'd be great. Oh, and ya might want to use a supadriv instead of a pozidriv screw driver for that reconfiguration of all that metals. I can tell the screws aren't right for a pozidriv. Anyway, night." She waved, and returned to her little upstairs apartment to try to sleep. _So, which planet's the one with alien turtles? _She wondered with a half thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"No way, no way, no way." Charley mumbled to herself as she got ready for the next day. Her best friend from her childhood was _not _actually a Purple Dragon Leader, and the giant turtles...yeah, that had to be a dream..right? Yeah, even Charley couldn't convince herself she wasn't loony. She half expected one of the macho mice to pop out from somewhere and say it was all some big elaborate joke...like that was going to happen. Her dark hair was growing out, and Charley pulled it back into a short ponytail before heading downstairs to open up shop.

_I wonder who they were? _Charley wondered silently, turning her closed sign to 'open'. _And I wonder where they come from? Well, I know it's not Mars... _She chuckled to herself, then focused as a customer walked through the door.

"Hey, welcome to Last Chance Garage II, what can I do for ya today?" She smiled, and listened to the latest problem of a 2005 Honda Civic. "Course I can help, that's what I'm hear for right?" She grinned, and headed to the garage. She got herself under the hood, carefully testing everything out. She was happy, she decided while she set a charger tester on the Civic. This was where she was happiest, and she was glad of it. She put all the crazy stuff out of her head and focused on the only _real_ love of her life, mechanics.

~(0)~

"I'm late, I'm late!" Charley muttered frantically, having to stop herself from adding the White Rabbit's other line into her sentence as she raced down the side walk to the coffee shop down the street. She had promised to meet Hun at two, and she was five minutes late. _It's not like he can kill me for being late. _She scoffed to herself, then had to wonder if he actually _could_. She ran into the shop and looked around for the only scary guy in sight. She saw him in the back trying to look as inconspicuous as he could. He did about as well as a bull in a playground did.

"Char." He called when he noticed her.

"H!" Charley grinned nervously with a wave as she headed towards him. She sat down opposite him, and a server immediately headed over to take her order. "Uh, do ya have frappachinos?" She asked hopefully. She hadn't been here before, she had only passed it countless times during her stay in New York City.

"Of course Ma'am." The server replied quietly.

"Call me Charley, everyone does." She told him, waving the title away.

"Yes Miss Charley Ma'am." The server responded, and Charley wanted to laugh. He sounded _exactly _like Modo did!

"Can I have a chocolate frappachino? I haven't had one in _months_." She told him truthfully.

"Yes Miss Charley Ma'am." The server nodded and disappeared to place her order.

"Still a chocolate girl I see." H smiled, but Charley had to cringe inwardly when she looked at him. He looked...menacing. It was crazy! H was one of the best people she knew.

Key word being _knew_.

"Haven't kicked the habit yet, not exactly sure I want to actually." Charley shrugged back, smiling.

"Same ol Char." Hun chuckled. "Tell me what's been up." He asked casually once the server had returned with her chocolatey drink.

"Well, let's see. Remember how I always wanted a shop of my own?" She began, and Hun nodded. They had always talked about opening a shop together, it just didn't happen after Charley returned to the windy city. "Well I got one, called it Last Chance Garage."

"Interesting."

"And then it got blown up."

"Excuse me?"

"This idiot went in and blew it up. He's called Ronaldo Rump, the jerk." Charley muttered, sucking on her frappachino with an annoyed vengeance.

"Mr. Rump? I know the guy, he ain't good. He ain't bad." Hun shrugged.

"Wait, you know him?" Charley asked surprised. "How do you know him?"

"He makes some business deals with my boss sometimes, I've had the _pleasure_ of meeting him. He's a weasel."

"Well, at least _you_ know that. Everyone else thinks he's some good guy. Pretty sleazy, but people think he's better than he is. If it weren't for Throttle and his bros-" She cut herself off. _Don't tell a Purple Dragon there are ALIENS, actual _mice_ aliens, on earth. They'll try to manipulate the situation. _She warned herself, even though she knew she would only be telling H. "Well, some guys came and helped me out. Knew their way around a bike too, it was great."

"Nice knowin' someone out there's takin' care of ya." H replied quietly.

"Yeah, but they can be a real nuisance. They're half the reason I came out east, needed some air." Charley sighed.

"Some congested, smog filled air?" H questioned with a raised eyebrow. Charley just rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously, this ain't exactly the place normal people go when they want some fresh air. They go to Oklahoma or someplace like that." Hun shrugged.

"Key word being normal." Charley grinned.

"Yeah, you definitely ain't that." H nodded back.

"H!" Charley cried indignantly, slapping him playfully. The shop's occupants let out a collective gasp, and Charley looked about her confused. "What?" She asked, but everyone avoided her gaze and looked in the opposite direction. _What'd I do? _She wondered, and then remembered. _I actually hit a Purple Dragon gang leader, what else is people supposed to think? _"O-Kay, then. So, more importantly, I figured out how to wire a beer dispenser into a bike's inner workings. You can drink and drive, literally, without ever taking your hands off the handlebars."

"_That's_ something I'd need to see to believe." H snorted, the familiar glint entering his eyes that always sparkled when he didn't believe her.

"You think I couldn't do it?" Charley demanded, looking at him indignantly.

"I know you couldn't do it, it's impossible." H scoffed.

"Just like it was impossible to hook your car up with remote controlled C-4's and a red bull tank?" Charley questioned, a serene smile on her face.

"I'll admit, the C-4 was a nice touch." H nodded slowly, his easiest sign for respect.

"Thank you, and it wasn't _you_ that 'accidentally' destroyed a city block, right?" She asked carefully, looking at him with narrowing eyes.

"Maybe." H hedged. Charley just sighed, shaking her head.

"Good thing it was in the warehouse district, no one got hurt." She said. "Anyway, that's what's up with you? How's NYC been in my absence? Dull?" She joked lightly, trying her best to seem supportive of his new 'job'.

"Ya know. I'm a PD."

"And?" Charley prompted hesitantly.

"It's not something I can discuss." He said gruffly.

"Okay, what else is new?" She tried, changing tactics. "Been under a car hood lately?"

"Not since you skipped town." He shrugged. "I learned a few things about a gun though."

"Interesting, I like shot guns myself, but a girl doesn't need to be picky when it comes to her toys." Charley grinned mischievously.

"You never were." H rolled his eyes. "I like the machine guns, the big ones." H nodded, probably contemplating what liking machine guns said about him. _What does the shot gun say about me anyway? _Charley wondered with half a thought. "Anyway, now you're back in town, is there anything you want to do? Anything you want to see?"

"Aw, you're sweet, H. how 'bout you choose? I never could pick _anything_...as long as it's not Broadway. _Please_ don't take me to Broadway, that place just rubs me wrong. All that singing and smiling, why are they so happy anyway?" Charley wondered aloud to herself, perplexed by the mysteries of life.

"We don't need to go to Broadway, we have the whole city at our fingertips. How 'bout the Statue of Liberty? We can go to a park, the Rockefeller place, there's a Ferris wheel." He offered, the two getting up.

"Hm, let's hit it." Charley grinned, and the two began their whirlwind afternoon. They went to Liberty Island, Charley gasping at the magnitude of the gigantic Liberty Lady, and making Hun take her picture. She forced him into a Liberty crown hat, and Charley beamed as she snapped a picture of him in his crown and her proudly bearing a torch replica, one looking awkward, the other not caring in the least. Next they headed to the Ferris wheel, and they went up, up, up, Hun chuckling at Char's naivety as she looked out over New York City in wonder. The two of them had never come here as kids, but Charley was exhibiting the same signs as a kid wonder struck. Charley picked up her disposable camera, and clicked a pic of the two of them up high above the word. Charley leaned against Hun as she stared out over the town, and Hun hesitantly put his arm around her. She looked at him with a calm smile, and looked back over the town as the Ferris wheel made its descent.

Tugging on Hun's hand, Charley pulled him towards Rockefeller square. She forced him onto the ice, which turned out to be a big mistake. The big guy kept slipping and falling over, and that was a sight she hadn't seen since they were in their summer days.

"Help me up, this ain't funny Char." Hun growled, but Charley couldn't stop laughing. She giggled as she helped him back onto his feet, took out her camera, snapped a pic, and then went to skate circles around him, literally. She jumped up and twirled, landing back on the ice and skating backward. "Show off!" H growled, but he had a small smile on his face.

"Catch me if you can!" She giggled, then zipped away. H started after her, then fell over back onto the ice.

"Char!" He called out annoyed, and the brunette was suddenly beside him.

"Let's get you off the ice, kay?" Charley smiled and the two made their way off the ice. The sun was starting to set, so the two stopped and got some hot chocolate after their time on the ice. Charley breathed in the scent of her warm drink, letting its warmth seep into her hands. "Today was fun." She smiled at H, and he gave a tentative nod back. "To bad I have to go back to work tomorrow, but we'll chat later, right?" She asked hopefully, and H nodded. They walked up the street to her garage, and H stopped her as she started to walk in.

"Char..." He trailed off uncertainly.

"What's up?" Charley asked puzzled, cocking her head sideways.

"I-I want you to know I've missed ya a lot since you left, and, um, well..."

"Hm?" She prompted.

"I, um, oh what the heck!" He swooped down and kissed her. She gasped as he stepped back, and watched as he disappeared into the dark. Charley touched her lips in shock and surprise, leaning against the wall outside Last Chance Garage II. _He-he _kissed_ me! _She thought surprised, and felt a slight blush rise in her cheeks. Biting her lip, she entered her store, and immediately heard the sound of people tying to be hidden, to be shadows. She had picked up all the tricks from Vinnie, who always tried to hide where he could spy on her. _Geez Vinnie._ She thought shaking her head. Her hearing was good, even just the sigh of materials meeting catching her attention.

"Alright, I know you're there, come on out." She demanded, and four turtles dropped from the ceiling.


	5. Turtles

Charley sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked her visitors over. _They're the turtles from last night, working on that...tank thing. _Each turtle was standing in a different position. The blue masked one was standing still, the closest to her, his steely dark eyes locked on her as she moved into her store. He eluded solemn confidence, and Charley knew this was the leader of the turtles. Leaning against the wall twirling a sai was the red masked turtle, his eyes glaring in her direction as he gave off the air of boredom and indifference, but she knew better. She could see the faint lines of agitation on his face, and simply gave him a curt nod of greeting. The orange masked turtle was fidgeting, moving his weight from one foot to the other as he bit his lip. _He's nervous_. She deduced, feeling a little proud of herself. The last was a purple masked turtle, looking furtively toward her little garage and all the mechanical do-hickeys she had, while trying to remain focused. _Yeah, the toys get to me too._ She thought sympathetically, remembering her first time getting to play with all of her advanced tools. _Ah, it was pure bliss!_

"So, you guys hungry or something? I think I have some Chinese upstairs." She offered, pushing past the orange masked turtle to put her purse behind the counter. "And I know I have some beers." She offered, turning to look at them.

"Um, lady-" The red masked turtle began.

"Charley." She cut him off, leaning against the counter and daring him to contradict her.

"Charley." Red Mask conceded. "Why aren't you screaming?" He finally asked, a look of pure bewilderment on his face.

"Not that we aren't thankful you didn't raise the alarm." The orange masked turtle spoke. "It was cool of you, Charley."

"What'd you expect me to do? Faint?" She snorted.

"Well..." The red masked turtle trailed off.

"Kinda." The purple masked turtle shrugged helplessly.

"I'm not the usual damsel in distress." She snorted. "I'm not gonna freak out if I see something a little bit weird. I've had enough _weird_ in my lifetime to make me immune to stuff like this. So, you gonna tell me your names? Or do I just get to call you Fred?" The blue masked turtle repressed a smile, and stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Leo." He smiled, reaching a three fingered hand out to shake her hand. Charley shook it with a smile. "These are my brothers, Raph," He pointed to the red masked turtle.

"S'up?" He nodded.

"Nuttin much, you?" She replied.

"Same." He responded.

"Donny," Leo pointed to the purple masked brother.

"Hiya." He smiled.

"Go." Charley sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Huh?" Donny asked confused, looking at his brothers to see if they understood either.

"I can tell you wanna get into my garage, all the tools. Go for it, just please don't break anything, okay?" She told him calmly, and Donny's face lit up in a smile before he zoomed off.

"Don- Never mind." Leo sighed, and Charley just gave a what-can-you-do smile. "And that's Mikey." He finished, pointing to the orange masked turtle.

"What's up, dudette?" He waved.

"S'up yourself?" Charley replied with a laugh. "So, now that we've got all that intro stuff done, why're you here?" She asked, getting down to business. She knew from experience guys that looked like giant turtles, or giant mice for that matter, didn't just make house calls.

"Right to they point, I like her." Raph spoke up with a grin, and twirled his sai in the air.

"Raph!" Leo hissed, shooting the red masked brother a furtive look.

"What? It's the truth." He shrugged.

"Charley, we're here because you know about us. It's a secret you can't take lightly, and we need to know if you'll keep it." Leo said solemnly, looking at her with burning eyes. _He wants to trust me._ Charley realized, an 'aww' forming in her heart. _But I'm guessing his people experiences haven't been all that great._ She mused, noticing scars around his body and the sharp katannas that had been resheathed on his shell.

"One condition." She grinned.

"What is it?" Leo asked carefully.

"I'm dying to know, which planet are you from?" She asked curiously, and four sets of jaws dropped open. "What?" She asked, wondering what she said.

"Lady, we ain't _aliens_." Raph snorted. "Whateva gave ya _that_ dumb idea?"

"Well..." She trailed off, not sure how to mention her martian mice. "Let's just say I have out of this world friends." She finally said. Leo looked at her thoughtfully, judging her words, her actions. It was starting to creep her out. "Anyway, I know an alien or two," _Or three, or four, let's just round up while we're at it. _"and I know not to judge on appearances. Turtles? Please. Anyway, do ya want anything? Or are ya going to kidnap me? Since I know this secret of yours?" She asked seriously.

"Dudette, why'd we need to kidnap you?" Mikey grinned. "And if you have any chow mien, I'll take it."

"Mikey!" Raph growled, whacking him on the head.

"Ow!"

"Aw, brotherly love. Isn't it cute?" She cooed, letting out a yawn.

"Don't tell 'er what we're gonna do!" Raph hissed.

"I didn't!" Mikey yelped. "I just asked for chow mien, what's so wrong with that?"

"Please ignore my brothers, they aren't exactly..." Leo trailed off, looking at his brothers with a wince.

"I get it, don't worry." Charley nodded in understanding. _Try three martian mice and we'll see how you feel then. _She thought rolling her eyes.

"Brothers." Leo shrugged.

"I get it." She nodded back. "Back to business. So basically you just wanted to know why I didn't scream last night, right?"

"Why didn't you screaming?" Raph finally asked, a look of pure bewilderment on his face. "Sure ya know some aliens, but didn't they teach ya _anything_?"

"Not that we _didn't_ like having someone not yell at us." Mikey spoke. "It was cool of ya, Charley."

"What'd you expect me to do? Go screaming out the door and cry for the police?" She snorted.

"Well..." Raph trailed off.

"Kinda." Mikey shrugged helplessly.

"It's easier to just know you're human at heart, it doesn't always matter what's on the outside, don'tcha think so?" Charley sighed. "So, I need to know, am I getting kidnapped tonight or not? 'Cuz if not I need to hit the hay, it's been a long day."

"I am afraid you won't be getting much sleep tonight, our father wants to meet you." Leo said quietly, and Charley threw her head back with a soft groan.

"I guess I didn't realize that if I moved to a city that never sleeps, that automatically meant _I _wouldn't be sleeping either." She exhaled, looking back at Leo. "All right, let's go." She said, and the turtles led her through her garage, where they picked up an excited Donny.

"I can't believe you have a 1938 Mercedes Benz 500k _motor_!" He exclaimed excitedly, while his brothers looked at the piece of machinery with raised eyebrows. _It didn't exactly look that special..._

"Oh yeah, I picked that up as a gift. I don't know _where_ they found it or even _how_, but isn't it _amazing_?" Charley gushed.

"Save the geek-speak, we gotta get this chick to Mastah Splintah." Raph growled, pushing Donny out of the way.

"Jerk!" Charley called after him, but she had an amused look on her face. The group went into the empty garage next to her shop, and then dropped down into a grate by the wall, falling into the sewers below. "Oh gross." Charley winced, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Ya get used to it." Raph shrugged, and Charley followed silently behind.

"So, whadaya think of our lair?" Mikey beamed, throwing his arms wide to encompass the full scope of their home.

"Wow..." Charley breathed, looking around her in awe. The place was filled with everything from TVs to skate ramps to a kitchen to a punching bag. _It was..._ awesome!

"That's what we say too." Mikey said proudly, a small smirk on his face.

"My sons? Have you returned?" An older, collected voice called.

"Yes Sensei, we have a woman we would like you to meet." Leo called back, and Charley bit her lip, wondering who this guy would be like.

"Hey Leo," She asked quietly. "you're ninjas right?"

"Yeah, why?" The blue masked turtle replied just as quietly.

"So it's like Japanese, right? Ninjas and samurais and Bushido and stuff?"

"That's about right." Leo said with a surprised nod.

"Cool."

"Ah, you must be the woman I heard so much about. I am Master Splinter, welcome to my home." The voice continued, and Charley blinked twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. _No, she wasn't hallucinating...was he actually a mouse like the Bros?_

"Um, hi, nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Charley." She mumbled, bringing herself out of her thoughts and giving the rat/mouse a respectful bow. If she was right, the creature in front of her was the one who taught the turtles everything they knew, and that also would mean respectful actions.

"Please rise." Master Splinter murmured calmly, and Charley knew he was pleased she had shown her respect. She rose back up on command, and bit her lip, wondering how to ask where he was from.

"Are you from Mars?" She blurted out, causing the rat/mouse to blink in confusion.

"I am not an alien, Miss Charley." He chuckled. "No, my sons and I are the result of a mutation. A toxic chemical altered our forms, a toxin called Mutagen." He shook his head. "Please, take a seat." He smiled, and gestured to any of their chairs. Charley sat down carefully, and was then told the story of the turtles and their father, how they came to be, their code of honor, and their roles in the city above. When he finished, she gaped in shock. _It sounded _so much _like the Bros! It's incredible! Well, except for the whole mutation thing, yikes._

"Wow..." She breathed.

"It is." Master Splinter nodded. "I wished to make your acquaintance because you are a rare commodity in times such as this to simply speak to my sons like normal men, not scream at them like freaks. They have endured much ridicule, as have I, because of our unconventional appearances. But I thank you for your acceptance toward my sons, I believe you must have a very unusual past to speak to us like humans." He chuckled, and Charley just smiled with a shrug.

"You could say that." She smirked.

"I give you our thanks, it is rare to meet someone like you." Master Splinter smiled softly, and Charley just shrugged it off.

"Just being me, that's never overrated."

"Still, I want you to know if you ever need anything, you can come to us. And may I assume the opposite is also implied?" He asked gravely. "If my sons are ever in need of safe harbor, you will protect them? You will not shut them out, or send them back into danger?"

"I would never do that!" She gasped, her voice sharp.

"Thank you." Master Splinter said softly. "I needed to know, for my sons sake..."

"It's okay." She said quickly, "It's alright, I totally get it."

"It is late, would you like to remain here for the evening, and my sons will return you to your home in the morning? Please, stay, it is the least we can do." Master Splinter asked.

"Um sure, if you're sure I'm no trouble." She replied, surprised this rat would be so kind to her. He didn't need to let her stay, but he was. _He's sweet_. She smiled._ I see where they guys get their nice streaks from. _

"Leonardo, please set up the guest room for Miss Charley, she will remain with us this evening." Master Splinter called out.

"Yes Sensei." Leo replied quickly, and started moving across the room.

"Donatello, please show our guest to her room."

"Course Sensei, right this way Charley." The purple bandana'd turtle grinned, getting up.

"Thanks for your hospitality, Master Splinter. G'night." She waved, and Donny led her across the room. Leo was making up the bed in the quick and efficient way of his, and the brothers both left the room with a final good night. "Well, today's definitely been weird." She sighed. _First H _kisses _me, and then I find out I might actually have mutant _ninja _neighbors, not to mention the fact that it seems I've traded one set of out of this world people for a whole new set! Ugh! I was _supposed_ to get away from all this crazy stuff, not go plowing into it again! _She grumbled, punching her pillow in annoyance as she settled into the little bed. _Oh well, might as well make myself useful if I'm back in this dumb ol' mutant/alien game..._


	6. Waking Up in the Sewers, It's Fun Right?

Charley let out a yawn as her eyelids fluttered open. _It's too early! _She groaned mentally, curling up on the green sheets. _Wait...GREEN sheets? _She wondered, jerking herself onto her feet and out of the bed. She looked around herself confused, trying to remember where she was. The bed she had been sleeping on was only the second structure in the room besides a small little table, a table who had been nice enough to leave a mark on her arm when she had jumped out of bed.

_Stupid furniture, always trying to get the best of me._ She grumbled, heading cautiously to the door. She didn't know where she was, she was pretty sure she'd remember in a minute, but she _did_ know she had been waking up early, as in five a.m. early, during her time in the Big Apple. If her internal clock was on the mark, it was before the sun started shining. Opening the door slowly, she entered a big expanse filled with electronics such as tvs and computers, a skate board ramp or two, and a little kitchen off to the side.

_Oh yeah! _Charley suddenly remembered as her eyes widened in revelation. _I'm at the turtles' place, I was meeting Master Splinter...what's the courtesy rules about waking up in an underground lair occupied by mutant turtles and a rat? Can I just walk out the door? _

"Ah, Miss Charley, I hope your rest was peaceful. Would you care for a cup of tea?" An elderly calm voice asked, and Charley jumped finding Master Splinter standing beside her. _Well, looks like running isn't an option..._

"Um, sure. Yeah, I guess my sleep was peaceful." Charley told the rat, who turned and started walking towards the kitchen. The sound of Master Splinter's cane tapped softly against the hard floor, and Charley felt her mind wander. _I always knew the Big Apple was crazy, but what's actually_ here_, wow, NYC is just crazy..._ She shook her head, wondering at how Fate at changed her destiny. She was a mechanic first and foremost, apparently a ready back up for the Bros during an inner-planetary battle between Mars, Earth, and dumb ole Plutark, and amazingly enough the latest secret keeper for mutant turtles.

_Can life get any weirder?_

_I just jinxed it, didn't I? There's gonna be something going down, and I just pulled myself into a new war...great, just great. _Charley groaned internally. _Hey, maybe I'm just being paranoid. Just because you helped the Bros with _their_ war, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to get stuck with a new role for these guys...right?_

"Miss Charley, may I ask what ails you?" The rat asked calmly, taking a seat and placing two steaming cups of tea in front of them. Charley quickly sat down, shaking her head.

"Sorry, just lost in some thoughts."

"You may blow your insecurities off for now, Miss Charley, but trust me when I tell you that those thoughts will not just go away by their selves. You must deal with them, or you will never place them behind you." Master Splinter said wisely, before delicately picking up his cup.

"It's really nothing, Master Splinter. It's just..." _How do I explain to a mutant _rat_ that I'm friends with alien _mice_? That there's an inner-galactic war going on off on Mars, and I'm probably not even supposed to talk about it? _"Some stuff about my past, it's bugging me. I left some friends back in Chicago, and now that I'm here I'm wondering if I'm meant to do something...like, maybe Fate brought me here for a reason..." _Good going Charley, now he'll _really_ think you're insane!_

"Fate is a fickle being, but destiny is not to be disputed. You are here, it always means something." Master Splinter's words said solemnly. _Great, just great..._

"Yeah, it definitely is." Charley snorted, agreeing with Splinter's first statement. She took a sip of tea, _hm, chamomile, nice, _and then stood up. "Well, thanks for letting me bunk down here, but I need to get back to my shop soon or I'll be out of business faster then I even got in it here." She chuckled, smoothing her dark hair into a semi-presentable mess.

"Let one of my sons accompany you, the sewers are immense and complicated. I do not wish for you to get lost on your way home." Master Splinter replied quickly, rising.

"Oh don't worry, Master, I'll just take the first set of stairs up. I _should _be able to find my home, I'm not your average idiot, you know." She joked, waving off his suggestion.

"Please, my sons should have been up by now anyway." MasterSplinter responded ruefully. "It is time for their early morning training practice, they can not protect the city if they cannot protect themselves."

"I'll be fine, but thanks anyway." She shook her head with a smile, before heading out. "It was nice meetin ya! See ya soon!" She called behind her, and disappeared into the tunnels.

~(0)~

_I'm lost. Hopelessly, _hopelessly_ lost. _She panicked, turning around in the sewers helplessly. It shouldn't have been this complicated, there _should have_ been a ladder somewhere around here!

Except there wasn't.

"Just great, _great_, I'm gonna die down here, and then someone's gonna wreck my shop! _That's_ New York City for ya." She grumbled in annoyance, huffing as she started down another tunnel. _Perfect. _She grumbled, seeing a dead end before her. Wooden boards shut up the other end of the tunnel, planks missing and sewer water rotting the bottom boards. She should've turned around and tried a different tunnel, but biting her lip she pushed forward. If it was boarded up that had to mean there was a man hole entrance somewhere around here, right? Leaning sideways, she squeezed herself underneath one of the missing planks, finding herself in a quiet, secluded, forgotten branch of the New York City sewer system. A quiet dripping sound permeated the silence at regular intervals, making time relatively easy to track as she started forward.

Her footfalls made squelching sounds as she pushed forward in the murky H20, a sigh being expelled from her body as she pushed forward. The end _had_ to be somewhere around here, it just had to be! Charley stood still a moment, rolling her shoulders to cast out some tension and she closed her eyes in annoyance. Her eyes snapped open a moment later.

She had heard something.

It was quiet, almost an undertone to the drips and waves of the dirty sewer water, but Charley knew almost positively that she wasn't alone. And if the presence was good or bad...she'd just have to see. Charley was a genius in her own right, and so what she did next she wasn't exactly that proud of.

She ran.

_Towards _the sound.

Sending a swift sweep kick under the intruder's feet, she heard him let out an 'oof' and fall to the ground. Charley immediately swooped down to put her newest acquaintance in a choke hold, and almost as suddenly as she attacked she backed off, shocked at her victim. His skin...it was rough, _reptilian_.

This wasn't your average bear, Yogi bear...

Not even a bear, a _giant, mutant, CROCODILE._

She let out a gasp as she heard the creature chuckle, and then she felt her anger bubble to the surface.

"For crying out loud, _warn_ a girl next time!" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. "I could have _killed_ you! What were you thinking?" She demanded. Her response was the same little chuckle.

"My pardons, I did not realize you would attack unprovoked. I was simply wondering if you were seeking your way back to the surface." The creature murmured, taking a hesitant step toward and angry Charley.

"Sure, you'll probably have better luck with it than me. I just seem to end up getting lost." She grumbled, looking at the large reptile in front of her. His skin was a deep green, darker than the turtles, with ridges and bumps accentuating his species. The reptile wore the remains of what most of been a lab coat, and a gentle, intelligent glimmer in his eye made Charley know she could trust him.

"Follow me, you were almost back to the surface world." The creature murmured, taking the lead so Charley would know he meant her no harm. The two traveled in silence a moment, but Charley couldn't stand the infinite silence that was the sewery realm.

"So, who are you? What are you doing down here?" She asked conversationally.

"I am Leather Head, LH for short. Why I am down here, that is simple. Do you think I would be welcomed in the world above?" He replied quietly, glancing a bright yellow eye in Charley's direction.

"Fair." Charley nodded. "I'm Charley. You know, for a giant crocodile you're pretty nice. I was kinda worried I'd become a snack." She laughed, not _completely_ sure her premonition wouldn't come to pass though.

"I will not eat you, Charley." The crocodile replied solemnly.

"That's nice to know. You're the sixth mutant reptile I've met this week, so far you all are pretty cool." Charley continued.

"The sixth?" LH asked curiously. "You have met the turtles and their father?"

"Yeah, I just came from there. Got lost from there, actually." She replied ruefully. "I really should have taken Splinter's offer to get a guide back home. But oh well, not much I can do about it now." She sighed.

"Here is the ladder to the human world above. Good bye, Charley." The crocodile murmured, backing away.

"Oh, thanks a lot LH! You're the best..or at least the best talking crocodile I've met so far." She laughed with a grin, hanging onto the ladder's steps with her hands. "Maybe I'll see ya again one day, but for now thanks a lot, see ya!" She waved, before disappearing into the sunlit world above.

_She was nice. _LH thought to himself as he entered a dark tunnel. The sound of wind rushing flew past him, and LH felt his neck to where he had felt a dart fly past. His neck was sticky with a small trickle of blood. _Oh no..._ His eyes widened as another dart came buzzing at him, cutting through his tough skin like it was paper. Another dart hit his shoulder, his leg, his abdomen, and LH's eyes rolled upward as he toppled to the floor.

"Nightie, night, Beastie." A voice chuckled evilly as his vision went black, and hands grabbed him as he lost consciousness.


	7. A Girl's Night

Charley grunted as she reached her hand farther into the engine of the old Impala, trying to find what in the world was clogging one of the pipes. The Impala was truly evil, that was all Charley could figure out. The car started out with one little problem, an oil change, and had then spiraled out of control with a hole in the brake line to a build-up in the exhaust pipe. Now, she was trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with the engine.

It wasn't going so well...

"Charley Girl? You here? Hel-looo?" A familiar voice called out, and Charley disentangled herself from the car. Grabbing a towel to wipe the grime from her hands, she headed into the store. Her first customer, the bright red head, was standing in the center of her shop, moving a pair of black sunglasses to the top of her head. "Charley? Helloooo?" April called again, twirling and then grinning when she saw the resident mechanic. "Charley!" She grinned and hugged the messy grease monkey. "I've been looking for you! How've ya been? I see my publicity hasn't gone unnoticed." She smirked, a pleased twinkle in her eye.

"Nice ta see you too, April." Charley smiled. "I've been good, and if it weren't for you I'd still be trying to get this garage off the ground. I owe you one." She said sincerely.

"Oh, I know the perfect way for you to make it up to me. Come by my apartment later and we can chat, I'm _so_ relieved to know the guys let you in on their little secret. Half the time I think those brothers _enjoy _keeping themselves a secret. Sheesh, if I lived down there I'd be desperate to have _one_ normal friend. Jeez, seriously." April shook her head, her red hair swishing back and forth. Charley's jaw dropped.

"Y-You _know _about the guys?" She asked surprised.

"Of course, didn't you know I knew?" April asked surprised, blinking doe eyes. Charley was shocked. She couldn't imagine the bright, happy reporter woman in front of her keeping probably the biggest secret in New York City, and actually _keeping _it. So far, she doubted the woman could keep a good secret, most reporters would have blabbed by now, but apparently there was more to April O'Neil than meets the eye.

"Nope." Charley shook her head.

"Oh well, I do. And so does my boyfriend, Casey. I met them a few years ago, Raph saved me from some thugs and I had a total spaz attack. I can't believe you didn't freak out!" April exclaimed pouting. "They're _mutant turtles_," April whispered quietly, casting a glance around the empty shop as if looking for spies. "how do you _not _freak out?"

"They weren't my first non-human interaction." Charley replied with a snort. "I've got bros back in Chicago who aren't exactly 'normal'." She air quoted.

"That's it, you're coming over later." April decided. "And you've got to tell me everything, and I'll tell you everything you wanna know about this lovely town, especially the people who live above and below it." She smiled.

"Sounds like fun." Charley smiled, and after getting all the info the bouncy woman walked out the door, on her cell and barking orders to her news crew. The minute April walked out the door, Charley immediately panicked. She'd only been in town a few days, had met a nice slew of interesting characters ranging from the gang variety to not exactly human, might possibly have a small love interest, and had met a ditzy reporter who had quickly decided Charley was her new best friend...there was no way this could go spiraling out of control, right? Yeah right. She didn't know why she was nervous, it was going to be like a girls night out...or was it a girls night in?...and when _was_ the last time she had actually gone on a girls night out/in?

Charley finished out her day, still not sure what was up with the Impala...but she _was_ going to figure it out. Pulling on a clean pair of jeans and a nice Love T-Shirt, Charley hailed a cab and headed to April's apartment. April was high up on the top floor, with easy access to the roof Charley realized, but steeling her nerves Charley knocked on the door. _It was so weird. _Charley mused. _I'm not afraid of Plutark aliens, and I can kick alien butt, but I'm afraid of girl time? Jeez, I really need to get out of the garage __more..._

She knocked on the door.

"Charley! Come in, come in! It's so good to see you, I love the hair." April complimented, and Charley self consciously touched her French Twist.

"Thanks." Charley smiled, entering the apartment. The apartment was filled with the smell of pizza and Italian, but before Charley could ask April the fiery haired woman was walking toward a tiny kitchen.

"Ignore the pizza smell, the guys are addicted." April scoffed, waving at the air. "I've been trying to make something Italian, but for some reason nothing is working! Sheesh, I finally get why people hire personal chefs. We're just _not_ good at any of this." April sighed, and shook her head in sorrow. "Anyway, I've been working on a Spaghetti Aglio Olio and Peperoncino. Wow, tongue twister right? I found it on this web site called Cooking with Nonna, and I've been _dying_ to try it out. Are you susceptible to food poisoning?" She asked seriously, standing over a bubbling pot.

"Um...most people are." Charley replied slowly, wondering how crazy this reporter was.

"Oh well, I might as well be my own test subject." April shrugged, and took the pot off the stove. "Anyway, tell me, tell me! What do you think of my city?" April grinned, pulling out two chairs by the kitchen island. Charley sat down with a grin. April reminded Charley of her best friend back in high school, Lisa Larson, who had been just as bubbly, just as energetic, slightly clueless, and just as inviting as April was being.

"I love it here." Charley confessed. "It's a little crazy, but it was the same way back in Chicago."

"Oh, I _know_! And half the people don't know common curtsey around here," April confided. "but you have to admit, you're never bored." She giggled. Getting back up, April made herself a plate of her latest culinary 'masterpiece' and sat back down. "Make sure you have 9-1-1 ready to go." April warned seriously, and then took a hesitant bite. Her face lit up as she swallowed, and April grinned. "FINALLY! I did it! Something that doesn't taste mud! Hallelujah!" April cheered, and Charley carefully took a bite of April's dinner. _It was _soooo_ good._ Charley thought happily, and the two started laughing and talking. Charley told about the Biker Mice, knowing if April could keep the secret of the turtles she could also keep the mystery of the Martian Mice, and what was going on back in the Windy City, and April told about the Great Misadventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, hitting everything from major battles to family 'aww' moments, and all the gasp worthy moments in between...and she told about meeting Casey, her boyfriend.

"You know how first impressions are everything? Well, we had the _worst_ possible meeting ever. We were complete opposites, and you don't _want_ to know how many fights we had...and we hadn't even started dating!" April exclaimed, shaking her head with a small smile. "Although, he _was_ always cute...But enough about me and my love life, how is it on the mechanic's turf?"

"I think I have a boyfriend..." Charley bit her lip nervously. "His name's H, he's a little rough around the edges, he sounds a lot like Casey actually...as a matter of fact, I bet those two would be great friends!" Laughing, she told April about H, how they had met as kids and the little spark they shared. Actually giggling, Charley told the eager red head how he'd kissed her yesterday.

"Aww, so sweet!" April cooed. "I bet there's a guy back home not to happy about this, is there?" April asked shrewdly, and Charley wondered how April could be oblivious to so much but always see straight to the truth.

"_Well..."_

"Tell me!" April demanded, leaning forward.

"Well, his name's Vinnie." Charley began.

"Wait, the _biker mouse_ Vinnie?" April blinked.

"One and the same." Charley nodded.

"Oh Charley." April shook her head. "It sounds like something for a romance novel, but why do I get the feeling there's more to the story?"

"He's a _biker mouse_, April, he's from _Mars_. There's no way it could actually work. And besides, do I look like the girl a nice mouse brings home to his parents? I'm a mechanic for crying out loud!" Charley shook her head.

"Charley Davidson, _love_ is an emotion that see's beyond the surface. You of all people should know that! You absolutely _adore_ machines, do you think that's normal?" April demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..."

"It's not, but that's because not everyone sees what _you_ see. It's the same with love, it ain't normal, it doesn't always look like it will work out, but it doesn't ever matter." April told her seriously.

And that's when glass windows exploded.

"And that's the cue to get the first aid kit." April sighed, getting up. Lying on the ground, groaning, bleeding, and in obvious pain were four turtles, bruised, battered, and in different states of medical emergencies.

"What happened to you guys?" Charley gasped, helping Leo onto the couch before helping Donny up.

"Some guy..." Mikey groaned, holding a hand over his rib cage. "He-He came...and-and he t-took-" Tears started welling up in the orange bandana'd eyes.

"Sh, sh, Mikey, it'll be okay, breathe." Charley instructed, lying him down so he wouldn't aggravate his obvious broken rib.

"No it's not..." Donny spoke up miserably as April wrapped his twisted foot.

"Okay, so what actually happened?" Charley sighed.

"Some crazy...he came and kidnapped Splinter." Raph said slowly, and the two women gasped. 


	8. Whoa, What Happened to the Turtles?

"Hey, Babe, I'm home!" Casey called, entering April's apartment with a grin. Tonight had been a _very_ good night...well, for the vigilante. He had kicked some serious Dragon butt, and he was pretty pleased. The only downside was that the turtles' hadn't showed up...which was kinda strange. But he wasn't to worried, the bros could take care of themselves...or so he thought until he came into the living room. "What the heck happened?" He demanded shocked, taking in the turtles, each in their own states of unconsciousness and bleary consciousness. He looked at each turtle in bewilderment, and then took in his girlfriend's brisk form as she walked past him and to a bleeding Donny.

"Hey, honey, how was 'work'?" She air quoted absentmindedly, opening a new roll of athletic tape.

"Um...who's she?" Casey gaped, finally noticing the brunette in the room. "Is she...trustable?" He asked quietly, motioning to the new girl.

"Case, meet Charlene Davidson. Charley, this is my man Casey. Charley's the one who opened that garage I was tellin' you about." April smiled, gesturing for the two to talk while she rebandaged an already bled through bandage.

"Um, Charley, how'd you, um, meet the guys?" He asked awkwardly, but Charley smiled, and walked over to him.

"They were trying to build a car next door to me." She snorted. "Trying to be stealthy ain't one of their strong points." She smirked.

"Hey!" Raph cried out weakly in indignation. "I resent that." He mumbled, before letting out a hiss of pain as April doused his wound with alcohol.

"I didn't know you knew first aid." Charley spoke, the surprise evident in her voice.

"Oh, my April's become their nurse." Casey snorted. "She's been taking care of them since she met them...which was a _long _time ago."

"Well, they saved me first!" April shrugged back defensively. "I owe them one anyway."

"So, who made the guys' into mince meat?" Casey questioned, hesitant to find out the new big, bad guy that had waltzed into New York City.

"I'm not sure, Case." April admitted, and he could tell the reporter in her was dying to find out exactly who had done this. "All they said was...was-" April sniffled and choked back a small sob before leaving a rebandaged turtle to hug Casey. "Splinter's been kidnapped, Casey!" She cried, and as he tried to console his girlfriend he watched out of the corner of his eye as Charley took over the first aid treatment. She seemed okay...but like April he looked out for the guys, and if this lady wasn't going to keep them on the down low...

The Vigilante might be showing up on her doorstep.

"We gotta get him back." Leo was saying weakly, trying to sit up. A gentle hand pushed him back down.

"Sorry, Leo, you gotta stay on bed rest." A voice said soothingly, and he looked up to see Charley standing over him.

"But Master Sp-" He tried to protest, but a gentle shush stopped him.

"It's going to be okay, we're going to get him back. Here, swallow this." She instructed, and feeling two feet tall and three years old he did as she said. "Now, tell me, what happened?" The voice was soothing, comforting, and Leo wondered if that was how a Mother was supposed to sound. He had only had a Father, but never a Mother... "Leo, focus for me. Please." The voice continued, washing over him like a peaceful wave.

"We were in the lair..." He began, and felt a mound of emotions rise up: Confusion, Despair, Shock, Anger, Numbness... "We were in the lair." He repeated, and felt a cool hand take his comfortingly. "It was a normal night, we had just come back from patrol...and _he _was there."

"Who was 'he'?" Charley asked quietly, her kind eyes looking at him curiously.

"I-I don't know." Leo admitted, feeling like a lost little child. "He-He was shoving Master Splinter into a _sack_!" He said outraged, not noticing how his voice was slipping and slurring his words together. Charley just leaned closer, trying to hear what she could.

"He had to have fought back, Leo, you know your Father wouldn't just _let _himself get captured." Charley soothed, and Leo nodded weakly.

"When we tried to get Sensei back..." Here Leo faltered, his inner turmoil rising up.

"Yes?" Charley prompted quietly, realizing the drug she had given him was working quicker than she would have liked. She needed more info! She needed to know all she could if she, mere mortal Charley Davidson, was going to get the rat back safe and sound.

"He-He shot something at us, and we...froze. He just..._walked away_ and we didn't _do_ anything!" He said in anguish, squeezing his eyes tight in shame.

"He must have shot a paralytic, you know you would have gone after him if you could've." She told him softly.

"But...I just _froze_. I had more time, _I had more time_ _Charley_!" He said distraught. "I could feel it, it was _working_ but I _had time_. But...I didn't go after Sensei while I had the chance..."

"Sh, it's okay, it's alright." Charley murmured, shocked at the little revelation. "Which way did he go?" She asked him, knowing the druggish pill was about to bring him completely under.

"Into the sewers, the north tunnel..." Leo murmured before passing out. Standing, Charley carefully pulled the sleeping turtle's katannas off his shell and held them carefully before putting them on the counter and turning to drug the rest of the turtles. When she had finished she had to very suspicious humans looking at her like she was slightly insane.

"What the heck did you do to them?" April demanded in shock.

"I knocked them out, it works great for the average insomniac." Charley shrugged, not mentioning the _real _reason why she had decided to do it. She had learned a nice long time ago that when something _this_ bad happened, *cough, cough, Martian Mice, cough, cough*, you simply had to knock them out and do it yourself. Sometimes, when it was _this_ bad, it took the not so normal human being to get the job done. You can't have emotional warriors battling it out, it didn't work like that. She'd done this before, drugging her favorite mice to keep them from killing themselves. She had donned some martian armor and got on her bike, knowing it was her turn to keep the peace.

And she had done exactly that.

When her sleeping little Martians woke up, the threat was gone and she had been able to persuade them it had been a dream.

A dream _all_ _three_ ofthem had had.

"What's goin' on, Charley?" Casey asked carefully. He could see a lot of himself in this not so average mechanic, and knew what he would do in this situation.

"It had to be done." She said simply, then looked at both of them carefully.

"Count me in." April smiled, an authoritative nod letting Charley know April was much more observant than she would ever let on.

"You'll need some muscle." Casey chimed in. "And you'll need to let us in on the plan."

"We're hiding the guys' weapons, and we're heading to the sewers." She smirked.

"Just peachy." April smiled, trying to keep her nose from wrinkling in disgust.

"Let's do this." Casey grinned. "_Human_ style."


	9. The Scene of the Crime

Charley stood in the middle of the lair, hands on her hips as she surveyed the Scene of the Crime. April was standing timidly off to the side, watching hesitantly as her boyfriend and the mechanic talked.

"Okay, so what do we know?" Charley asked, getting down to business.

"Well, we have a mystery attacker with paralyzing darts, four _knocked out _turtles, a missing mutant rat." Casey shrugged, summing everything up.

"Not quite," Charley smiled. "before Mikey went beddie bye he mumbled that our mystery assailant had also captured a 'Beastie Croc', which I think means Leatherhead is out of the game as well."

"LH has been kidnapped? Oh no!" April exclaimed shocked.

"And so I'm thinking that our attacker is more than just an attacker, I think he's a mutant hunter." Charley sighed.

"And why can't we just leave this to the guys?" April sighed, moving to throw an old pizza box out.

"They're only going to be bait." Charley sighed, leaning down to look at a set of drag marks. "If he's after mutants, well then we don't want mutants to be getting in the way. They're to close, April, and Master Splinter is a _master_. If this guy can take _him_ down, what do you think he's gonna do to four turtles who aren't even masters yet? We're human, and I doubt this guy will be expecting _us_ to come waltzing through his door."

"She's got a point, babe, we have the advantage." Casey agreed.

"I know, I just don't like it." April sighed.

"Okay, Leo said this guy took off into the north tunnel, so I guess that's where the manhunt begins. But before that, I want to find this paralytic dart." Charley said, scanning the ground.

"Okay." Casey shrugged, and got down on the ground to look under the sofa. He let out a yelp, and then slumped on the ground.

"I think he found it." Charley chuckled.

"Casey!" April exclaimed, running to the fallen vigilante. Charley carefully took the dart out of his hand, examining it eagerly.

"Where's Don's microscope?" She asked, and a distracted April pointed to the lab. Moving swiftly, Charley went to analyze the poison. She knew it wasn't permanent, the turtles had gotten to April's apartment after all, but what it _came_ from, that was the real question. Animal, like the tree frogs in South America, plant based, oh boy that would be bad, or whatever it could possibly. Sighing, knowing she wouldn't have enough time to classify it, Charley deduced it was of plant origins...which could be about anything. Placing the dart in a box, Charley went back to April and a still paralyzed Casey.

"What are we going to do, Charley? This is serious! We can't go after a deranged hunter without some backup!" April exclaimed worriedly, stressing out quickly.

"That's what I'm here for, April. Chill, everything's gonna be alright. Okay? Now, we have to head out into the tunnels if we're gonna figure out anything. Think about Master Splinter, April, Leatherhead. They're with a deranged _monster_. We can't leave them there, can we?" Charley asked calmly, looking a fearful April in the eye.

"No." April finally whispered, and stood up. "Help me get him on the couch, he won't want to wake up on the floor." The two woman put him on the couch, and pulled a blanket over his body.

"I can't believe he passed out." Charley commented.

"Yeah, he was never big on needles." April said sheepishly.

"Come here, April." Charley called, standing in front of the weapons rack. "So what do you want?" She asked with a laugh. Rows of katannas, sais, nun chucks, bo staffs, throwing stars, daggers, a bow and arrow, and enough other Japanese weapons to make the girls set for any man hunt.

"Whoa..." April breathed.

"So, take your pick." Charley grinned.


	10. Tracking in the Sewers

id:8035168

"This is a bad idea, this is a _really_ bad idea!" April sweat dropped, looking around herself fearfully, gripping the baseball bat in her hands tightly. With all the beautifully crafted Japanese weapons at her disposal, April had decided to go with a _baseball bat_.

A _baseball bat._

She had claimed it was the only weapon she actually knew how to use, but when had that ever stopped anyone? Her second defense was it was Casey's weapon of choice, and therefore something that would 'honor' her boyfriend. Charley, on the other hand, had gone a little out of the box. She had a katanna in one hand, a small throwing knife in her boot (just in case), and a pretty little fighting fan that with a flick of the wrist produced some nasty spikes that Charley had put in her back pocket. The little tassel on the fan swished as she walked, but Charley had stopped paying attention to that after awhile in the sewers.

"Shh! We don't want this guy to know where we are!" Charley hissed, silencing her partner.

"We're lost, aren't we? Only the guys can navigate these tunnels, we're so lost!" April cried quietly.

"It would have been so much quieter if I had just brought Vinnie." Charley grumbled to herself in annoyance.

"What?" April blinked. "I didn't hear you."

"Never mind me." Charley replied, waving off the other woman. Charley dropped to her heels, looking the the ground with a smile. "Look." She pointed.

"What?" April replied curiously, then frowned. "What am I supposed to be seeing? I don't see anything... well except slime."

"Exactly." Charley smiled. "Right here, see? The sludge and muck isn't as thick, which means...?" She trailed off, hoping the red head would be able to figure this out for herself.

"Something's been through here recently." April said beaming, pleased with herself and her answer.

"Bravo, Ms. O'Neil." Charley grinned with a nod. "And that also means?" She waited.

"We're on the right track." April said solemnly. Charley nodded, and stood back up. She wasn't sure why she was trying to teach the red head tracking skills, it wasn't like the red head would ever actually need it. But it seemed important, and at every clue she tried to teach the red head. April was smarter than she showed herself to be, almost like Charley herself was. She was smart, almost super geek smart, but she was humbler than that, and passed herself off almost always as the Mechanic instead of the Brainiac. Charley found a kindred spirit in April, and she could tell April was finally opening up her techie/genius/smartie-pants part of her and loving it. The reporter/sleuth was learning how to track, and Charley was learning how hard it was to be a teacher...

"We're coming guys, just hold on..." Charley murmured, moving forward.


	11. Musings

_They are finally unconscious..._

The words swirled in The Hunter's head, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the monsters he had caught. The first had been an easy catch, the Beastie Croc he had caught unaware. The second, that _rat_, had put up more of a fight. He should have known, especially after getting a fine display of ninjitzu from the rodent. The Hunter rubbed the claw marks that now marred his left arm, the rat's claws having dug deep and leaving angry, red marks.

Now, after collecting two out of the six evident creatures that roamed the sewers, his latest prize was knocked out and chained to the wall. It was a little old school, dungeonish, but it did exactly what he needed it to do. The chains were thick, and evidently strong as they held the two creatures a good four feet off the ground.

_Soon, soon there will be another added._ The Hunter thought gleefully. _But as for now, I must wait. The Chelonia will come in search of their 'Father', and then...I will have them all. _TheHunter smirked, not minding using the scientific name for turtles as he mused on his thoughts. The crocodile was limp and hanging, his breathing shallow. The Hunter had kept the beast under with some 'debatable' drugs, and after making sure the croc wouldn't go berserk finding the rat in his company, had pushed him even farther under with some powerful drugs. The rat, on the other hand, wasn't that hard to keep down. He was old, and frail, and one hard kick to his cranium was enough to knock him out. Add some paralytics, and neither captive would be a problem for a long time.

_Soon, soon I will have them all._


	12. Found Them! Oh No, We're Found Too

After a tremendous amount of effort, pain, struggles, not to mention all the slime, Charley and April found themselves outside a closed door. Apparently, the turtles weren't the only ones hiding out in the sewers. Charley cast April a glance, now or never, and April gulped before nodding hesitantly, gripping her bat tighter. Charley squared her jaw. Fighting was something of a pastime for her, especially with the bros in her life. Right now, she would've gave anything to have a Martian Mouse at her side for this. Her thoughts flitted to a certain white haired mouse, before shaking her head. _Gotta focus!_ She mentally reprimanded herself, getting ready to kick down the door and save the day.

_Again._

Charley breathed out slowly, calming her heart rate and regripped her katanna. _Three, two, __now_. A quick kick took the door down, and the two ladies stormed into the room. What they saw shocked them. Hanging on the wall was Leatherhead and Splinter, chained in place like prisoners in a Medieval dungeon. Both of their heads were dropped in resignation, blood clotted in Master Splinter's fur and shining on LH's scales.

"_Oh_!" April gasped, running to the chained up kidnapees. Charley cast a glance around the room, taking stock of the enemy camp. If it could be called that... It was basically an empty room, a cot in the corner, some nasty torture tools on a simple wooden table, and the two prisoners. It was obvious this was just a holding chamber for the two mutants, and their kidnapper.

"April, we gotta move. Whoever took these guys is coming back. Probably soon." Charley nodded, grabbing the keys that had been nailed right by the door, always in eyesight and teasing the weak prisoners. _Cruel._ Charley thought to herself. _Just cruel_. Grabbing the keys, Charley moved to get the mutants down. Careful of all the wounds on the rat, Charley gently lowered him to the floor where April ran to tend to him as best she could. Moving to the croc, she saw his yellow eyes open a slit, then widen in surprise.

"You." He rasped.

"Yeah, the Sewer Girl." Charley smiled softly. "Told ya I'd see you again. So, what's up, LH?"

"You shouldn't be here." LH rasped again, coughing. "H-He'll get you."

"Who's 'he'?" Charley asked seriously as she lowered the reptile to the floor.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" A voice roared, and Charley spun quickly, katanna raised. "You would help the Crocodylidae? _And_ the Rattus?" The voice roared, shouting out the scientific names like most used slang, easily and without thinking.

"_Run_, Charley, please, save yourself." LH whispered from behind her, but Charley held her ground.

"April, get them out of here, I'll draw his attention." Charley murmured softly, analyzing the man before her. He had mussed black hair and wild blue eyes. He was wearing loose camo cargo pants, a black tee, and matching black combat boots. A dog tag glinted in the light, and Charley narrowed her eyes. _Ex military, should've figured. This should be fun. _She groaned mentally. Military. Perfect, just perfect. On the bright side, she had a weapon, and he obviously didn't. "You ready to dance?" She smirked, making her weapon flash light as she settled into a better stance.

"You are trying to steal government experimental creatures, you will pay." The man growled.

"Sure I am, and Elvis Presley's still alive." She snorted. The attack was quick, a dart flying in first which she deflected, and then the brutal onslaught that made her first drop her sword from a quick disarming move and then fight hand to hand. He was good, Special Forces good, but she had a few lessons from some very unusual Martians, and amazingly held her ground. She didn't gain any ground in the battle of wills and fists, but she held it, which was a pretty good self confidence booster for the mechanic. Before she knew it, Charley was flipped onto the ground, rolling to avoid the boot stomping right where her face used to be. "What is your _deal_?" Charley asked exasperated, ducking and dodging the guy's onslaught.

"My deal? _You're_ the one trespassing, not to mention robbery, and as we can now tell," He panted, throwing her against the wall. "assault. And any jury would agree, I'm acting in self defense."

"Self defense?" She gasped outraged, getting back up and pulling the knife out of her pocket. "_Self_ _defense_?" Charley shrieked. "_You_ threw the _dart_ at _me_ first!" Charley huffed as she found herself manhandled by the psycho who had simply twisted the knife out of her hand. "_You _are-are-ugh!" She hissed outraged, not even sure what she wanted to call the loonatic. A thought flitted through the captive's mind, and Charley grinned.

"Don't try nothin', you ain't getting out of this fix." The guy drawled, and then his eyes widened as Charley used one of the best technique's in a girl's arsenal. She twisted her head around to see her captor, and then kissed him.

Hard.

The strong grip loosened, and Charley slipped out of his embrace, twisting to grab her fan and kick Mr. Whack Job where the sun don't shine.

"_Ooh_." He gasped, falling to the ground. Charley glared at him, fan snapping open and spikes coming out. Turning her head slightly, she saw April outside the room, Splinter's arm around her shoulder and LH stumbling beside her. The fearful red head looked back at her, and Charley looked pointedly at her. _Get outta here, April. _She seemed to send, and April bit her lip hesitantly, before giving an almost imperceptible nod and moving away from the torture chamber-esque place. Charley waited for the guy to get up, and was unprepared for the knee high lunge that sent her sprawling to the floor. The fan went flying from her hand, spikes extended, and landed across the room. Charley cursed whatever power had seen fit to know leave her weaponless as the crazy loon stood above her, smirking, a baseball bat in his hand. _You've got to be kidding me. __This__ is how I'm gonna die? In the sewers? With one of my friend's weapons? Just great._ Mr. Crazy Loon raised the weapon over my head, and then his eyes widened in shock, and he slumped to the floor...right on top of her. Charley grunted in annoyance, pushing the guy off her and finding April back in the doorway, looking stunned herself.

"So, what did you do this time?" Charley asked conversationally, panting from the exertion of the fight. April smiled hesitantly, and pointed to where one of Crazy Dude's paralytic darts was sticking out of his back. "Ya know, you're perfect back up." Charley sighed in relief. "Let's get out of here."

"What about him?" April asked softly, still stunned by her own audacity of paralyzing the kidnapper.

"Let's..." Thousands of possibilities flickered through her head: Using him as target practice, leaving him in a Somali Desert, giving him a dose of his own medicine... "take him to a hospital." Charley finally sighed. She couldn't be like the guy on the ground. If she stooped to his level, she was no better herself.

"Let's get outta here." April agreed as Charley stood the kidnapper up and supported his weight on her own, an arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Let's go home."


	13. And Everything Settles Down, Or Not

Raph groggily opened his eyes, confused. He wasn't in his room...and he wasn't in the lair, so where was he? His dazed mind slowly focused on the familiar surroundings of April's apartment, and slowly let himself relax after the initial tense up. Hey, a mutant turtle doesn't have that many options when waking up in strange places, and at least this time it didn't involve any crazy scientists. Turning his head, he found the rest of his brothers around him: Lying on another sofa, one on a wooden table, and another one sprawled on two chairs creating a makeshift bed. Raph tried to sit up, and immediately fell back down as he felt his head swim.

"Uhhh." He groaned, closing his eyes against the onslaught of head spinning mayhem going on in his mind.

"Hey sleepy head." A voice spoke up, and Raph cracked his eyes open to find a woman sitting legs crossed on a chair, flipping through a magazine and lazily looking up at him.

"Wha-What _happened_?" He demanded, but his voice barely came out a rasp and it lost all its effect.

"The usual." The woman, Charley, that was her name...right?...rolled her eyes, flipping another page.

"Masta' Splinta!" Raph remembered, jerking up and his jaw dropping. "We gotta save Splinta!" He cried out, only to have the woman on Turtle Watch shush him.

"What are you talking about? Master Splinter's fine, it's you guys he's worried about." She tsked, shaking her head.

"W-What are you talking about? Splinta got ratnapped, and we got our shells beat, and-"

"Ratnapped? Is that even a word?" Charley snorted. Raph looked at her like she was crazy. _How_ _can she not care about Masta Splinta getting ratnapped? _"Look, I don't know what insane turtle dreams you've been hallucinating about, but everything's fine. You got your shells busted by Hun though, he got you guys good." Charley sniggered. "You guys couldn't get back to the lair, so you came here, remember?" Raph shook his head confused. "Great, amnesia, just perfect." Charley sighed. "Leo was trying to be strong, but he was carrying Mikey, who we all know just loves to pass out, and Don had a limp so you were helping him out, but you were about to pass out too. Remember? Anything coming back? You were trying to hold off some Foot or Dragons or whatever, _and_ trying to help Don at the same time. Pretty brave. But anyway, don't worry, you all got back here safe and sound and all's well with the world. We used Leo's shell cell to call Sensei and tell him you all were running a little late, so don't worry about the rat, he's fine. What kind of dreams were you having anyway? Splinter getting ratnapped? Please, he's a kung fu master if you haven't forgotten."

"Yeah...dream." Raph nodded uncertainly as April entered the room. The red masked turtle looked at the two women confused as they shared a look, Charley smirking and April rolling he eyes, before Charley shrugged and went back to her magazine.

"Oh, you _do _look awful. My, my, those Dragons did a number on you. Oh, this is not good. Well, at least it's all _mostly_ superficial, right Charley?" April tsked, tending to his wounds with a distressed look.

"Yeah, I think he'll live." Charley suppressed a grin. April gave the red masked turtle some more sleeping pills, it was easier that way for the two women to talk, and April came to sit beside the mechanic woman.

"So?" The red head prompted.

"So what?" Charley asked blankly.

"Oh come on, what happened with Mr. Crazy Loon!" April demanded, looking at Charley with an expectant expression.

"Oh, just the usual. Hospital, _psychiatric_ _ward._.." Charley grinned, and thought back to her latest hospital visit with a paralyzed man...

_Charley grunted, practically dragging her assailant into the nearest hospital. The automatic doors whooshed open, and Charley stumbled in._

"_Help!" She called out. "I need some help here, he's not moving!" Charley called out, adding a tinge of panic and alarm to her voice. It was all an act, but a part she still had to play._

"_What th- Someone give me a hand here!" A doctor called out, and the crazy loon was hefted onto a gurney. "What the heck happened, lady?"_ _The_ _doctor_ _gaped_, _looking from the guy being wheeled away to the woman who looked like she had just had to fight a gladiator- and won. _

"_I don't know." Charley confessed. "He was on the ground when I found him, mumbling stuff about mutant turtles or something crazy like that. Something about a kung fu rat. He has to be crazy, right? He all but bit my arm off trying to stop me from helping him." Charley told the doctor, looking where the guy had been wheeled away and looking back at the doctor confused. "What's wrong with him?"_

"_Hm, hallucinations." The dark haired doctor murmured, writing on a clipboard. "So you don't know who he is? Not anything?" The doctor pressed._

"_He's wearing tags, so I'd suspect Ex military or something." Charley shrugged. _

"_Hm, well, we'll look. Thanks for bringing him in." The doctor turned to leave, but Charley called out to him._

"_Um, if you find out anything, could you call me? Here's my number, good or bad news, I just...I don't know, I just want to know what happened." She told the doctor._

"_I can't divulge medical records, Miss." The doctor replied shortly._

"_I helped save his life, I at least deserve to know why he was on the ground. Please?" Charley asked quietly, looking up at him with slight puppy eyes. The doctor squirmed, casting his brown eyes away from the pleading girl._

"_Well..."_

"_Please, Doctor, I would _love_ to hear from you...even if it isn't medically related." She smiled secretively, and the doctor squirmed again._

"_Well, we'll see." He finally said, and practically ran from the room. _

"_Bye!" She called out sweetly, and left the hospital._

"So, was the doctor cute?" April spoke, bring Charley out of her reverie. The mechanic smiled.

"Yeah." She grinned. "_So_ hot. _Hey_. Why do you care, Miss-I'm-In-A-Relationship." Charley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's many fish in the sea, Miss Nosey, and just because I caught myself a fine looking fish doesn't mean I can't appreciate the rest of the fishies." April grinned.

"You're bad." Charley grinned.

"The original." April smiled back. "But that leads to the next question. What did he say when he called?"

"Oh, we have a date for this weekend." Charley began.

"_And_? And I thought you were with H or whatever his name was."

"Well, our attacker is named Alexander Henderson. I was right, he was Ex Special Forces, only he was discharged because of A) Schizophrenia which resulted from B) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was also prompted with anxiety from the death of his girlfriend."

"And how does paralytic darts fit in?" April asked skeptically. "Where'd the station him? The Amazon?" She snorted.

"Not quite." Charley smiled. "An African rainforest in the Congo."

"You're point?" April sighed. All the sciencey mumbo jumbo was now boring her, even though she _really _wanted to find out what had paralyzed her boyfriend.

"Tetraodon Miurus." Charley grinned.

"Come again?" April blinked.

"Tetraodon Miurus, or the Congo Puffer fish." Charley explained. "It's got neurotoxins, and as I also found out, our would be attacker was part of a scientific team researching toxins and its relation in bio warfare. Before his schizophrenia set in, apparently he was pretty smart." Charley said, then conceded, "Not to mention lethal in battle."

"He's in the crazy ward now, right? He's not coming back anytime soon?" April asked worriedly.

"Nah, he's gonna be locked up for a while. You wanna go gawk at him later?" Charley offered.

"What else could we do?" April smiled back.

"We do make the perfect pair." Charley smiled, then the two turned to less dangerous topics as the duo waited for dusk to fall and to shuffle their turtle crashers back home.

~(0)~

Dusk had fallen, the turtles were all safely tucked away underground, and the two women were now heading to the hospital.

"Lets see how our patient is." Charley mused as they entered the building. The receptionist was busy typing away on the computer, pushing papers, logging hours, and everything else that had fallen to her. Still, the Hispanic woman lifted her head with a smile to the new guests.

"How can I help you?" She asked, her accent slight.

"We're here to see Alexander Henderson." April began, smiling her reporter's smile.

"Are you family?" The receptionist asked pleasantly.

"No Ma'am, but I was the one who found him yesterday. I just want to know how he's doing." Charley smiled.

"How sweet, let me check." The receptionist clicked some buttons, frowned, then looked up. "He's been checked out."

"What? He came in _paralyzed_." Charley gaped alarmed.

"I'm sorry, but apparently a man of importance came and checked him out. Said he was military and they took care of their own. I'm sorry, there's nothing you can do." The woman shrugged.

"Well..." April huffed.

"I'm sorry, is there anything else I can do for you?" She smiled.

"No, have a nice day." Charley smiled, and steered her red headed friend out the automatic doors.

"I can't believe this! This _has_ to be a cover up! Something's going on, and I will find out if it kills me!" April hissed, her reporter's instincts riling up and taking over.

"Chill, April." Charley sighed, but she wanted to go hunt down Mr. Henderson herself and find out why the heck the government had taken him.

"But we need-" Charley's cell rang out, and cut April off.

"Hello?" She asked absently.

"Ms. Davidson? This is Detective Erik Rogers with the New York City Police Department." _uh-oh._ "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

~(0)~

Charley stood outside her garage, watching the whole building become engulfed in flames.

"W-Wha?" She stuttered, staring at the fire in disbelief. She felt someone stand beside her, and turned to find H beside her. "Hun...my garage...it's..."

"You didn't pay tribute." H shrugged.

"What?" She asked dumbfounded.

"You had to pay the Dragons, you didn't, end of story." H shrugged.

"So..._you_ torched my place?" She asked shocked, trying to wrap her mind around everything. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Sorry, Char, but you have to pay the piper." He shrugged, and then disappeared into shadows. Charley gaped, and then was jostled around from detectives and police officers until her head spun. April was waiting outside the precent when everyone was finished with her, telling her they'd call if they got any leads.

"Sorry Charley." April winced.

"You've got to be kidding me..._two_ shops. Both destroyed. I have absolutely _no _luck."

~(0)~(0)~

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	14. Time to Say Goodbye

Charley walked down to the lobby to check for any incoming mail. She had been living with April ever since her childhood friend had burned her garage, and was saddened to learn her favorite bike had perished in the fire. she was further annoyed to learn she had misidentified the paralytic that the idiot Alexander Henderson had used against them. How the heck had she mixed up animal and plant cells? It was impossible! Shaking her head, the lobby man handed her April's mail, and smiling Charley sorted through the mess. _Junk mail, junk mail, junk- hang on._ Her eyes widened hopefully seeing her name on the front. Only a week ago she had sent off an employment resume to a prestigious car shop down in D.C. It wasn't what she was used to, having to work for somebody, but it was still an option. And after her bad luck running garages, she decided it might be better to work under someone.

"Thank you for your application," Charley murmured on her way up the elevator. "you've been _accepted_- YES!" Charley cheered, doing a victory dance in the elevator.

~(0)~

"It's time for me to leave." Charley told April after the red head had gotten home from work.

"Hi, it's nice to see you too. I had a great day, thanks for asking." April replied sarcastically.

"Okay, I get it." Charley rolled her eyes. "It's great to see you after the few hours we spent apart. How are you feeling? Did you have a nice day? I'm moving out."

"Really? Why? Did that shop send you anything?" April blinked, putting her purse down.

"Yeah, I've got a job if I want it."

"Wow, so you're leaving? You're not headed back to the Windy City?" April asked calmly, sitting on the sofa and patting the seat next to her.

"I'm not sure. I think I'm gonna get back on the roads before I decide anything. The high ways can take you anywhere." Charley shrugged. In truth, she wasn't sure she was ready to go back home. More importantly, she wasn't sure if she was ready to see Vinnie again. It had been months, but still...

"Well, you know you'll always have friends up in the great NYC." April smiled sadly. "When you heading out?"

"I think I'll get out of your hair tomorrow morning." Charley nodded.

"Well, that gives me no time at all to throw a Goodbye Party." April replied, a grin on her face.

"Oh no. no, no, no." Charley shook her head quickly. "I don't need a party, you've done so much for me already."

"And friends do tons more. We're having a party." April said firmly, her face resolute. Her features relaxed after a moment, turning thoughtful. "Well, I suppose we could just have the guys and Casey if that'll make you feel better."

"That works." Charley nodded eagerly. This way, it wouldn't really be party, more like a get together of sorts.

"Perfect."

~(0)~

Never doubt a red head when she warns she'll throw a party.

The whole apartment was filled with balloons and streamers, and even a hand made banner above the doorway proclaiming We'll Miss You, Charley!. April had even insisted on gift giving, and try as she might, no one listened to the Mechanic. Splinter came first, and presented a bonsai tree to the mechanic.

"Remember, Charley. You can determine the tree's shape, but patience is always required." Splinter had told her calmly in his cryptic little way.

"I'll remember." Charley nodded dutifully.

"Take care, my daughter. You brought my sons home to me." He murmured into her ear as he hugged her. "Thank you." Charley nodded with a small smile, and the rat bowed respectfully. Automatically, Charley returned the courtesy. Never in a million years did she think she'd meet someone like Splinter, so determinedly old school, so respectful..sometimes, the rat reminded her of Modo. The goofball that was Mikey came next.

"I know you'll miss me, so I had a picture made." Mikey grinned, presenting her with a picture frame with all the turtles, Master Splinter, Casey, and April. Everyone was grinning, and Charley felt touched.

"Thanks Mikey, but how in the world does someone forget such great guys like you?" She smiled, and Mikey just beamed back at her and gave the woman a hug. Don stepped forward next.

"We're gonna miss ya, Charley. So for your present, I made something special. Done in the garage you'll find a motorcycle with your name on it...not really, it doesn't really have your name, but it's green so you'll remember us with some cool designs along the frame." Don said eagerly. Charley laughed and hugged him, extremely touched he'd built a bike for her. _That's the way to a girl's heart, through her bike! _

"Aw, thank you so much Don, I bet I'll love it." She promised him, and the brainiac grinned. Raph came up after his brother.

"I know it's not much, but here." He muttered, and handed over the fan she had used on her man hunt against Henderson. "Masta Splinta said you'd like it. I don't get why, it's just a fan." He grumbled, and Charley smiled in Splinter's direction. The wise rat's eyes twinkled mischievously, and Charley thanked Raph.

"It's beautiful." She told him, and she tucked it into her boot for safe keeping, and then hugged him goodbye. Leo stepped forward next, and presented her with a katanna. What exactly they expected her to need a katanna for, well that was beside the point.

"I want you to have this. Just in case something goes wrong, and to remember how beautiful things are often just as deadly." _Yep, Leo's just as cryptic as his dad. _Charley thought, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks." Charley smiled, hugging the last brother. "I'll take good care of it." She promised as the blue masked turtle moved back to let Casey step forward.

"Well, I didn't really know what to get ya, so I let April pick this out." Casey said awkwardly, and handed over a little black box. Curious, Charley opened it and found a little silver charm bracelet with a motorcycle already on the chain. It bounced the light off the little charm, and Charley smiled, hugging the vigilante.

"It's beautiful, thank you." She told him, and then had to fight back a sudden wave of tears as April came forward. The one person who meant the most to her...

"Well, I really didn't know what to get you, and I decided out of the box was more your style so, well, here." She told the mechanic, handing over a little pink bag. At the bottom, wrapped carefully in tissue paper, was a very interesting necklace. An oval shaped, gray, intricately detailed pendant sat on a leather corded necklace. Charley marveled at the odd piece, so unique, so exquisite.

"W-Where did you get this?" Charley asked, awed.

"Oh, I found that down in Mission City." April shrugged. "I had it shaped and everything, but it originally came from Mission City where I got sent on assignment one time. Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is." Charley nodded, and had a feeling there was more to the necklace than meets the eye.

~(0)~

The party ended, everyone went home, no one could go to sleep, and the next morning Charley said her final goodbye to the eccentric red head.

"You know where to find me." April sniffled, throwing her arms around Charley.

"I'll visit." Charley promised.

"And try to avoid crazy people, people like Henderson are a dime a dozen." April continued.

"Course."

"And- And- I'm going to miss you _so_ much!" April cried, and after another tearful farewell Charley got on her new, turtle built bike and headed out onto the streets. At the same hill she had stopped at on her way into the city, Charley paused to look back. The town hadn't changed that much, but it still tugged at her heartstrings to say goodbye. She looked over the concrete jungle and smiled. Her adventure there was over, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be another. Charley let out a whoop and zoomed off, shouting the one thing that came to mind after an adventure like this:

"It's time to rock and ride!"

~(0)~(0)~

_**The end.  
**__**There may or may not be a sequel, but I'll decide soon. I bet you can guess what cross over it'll be under :) But til then,  
Thanks for Reading!,  
White Fairy Writer**_


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